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Myron D. Hartman
About Myron Hartman 1959 - 2015 Myron D. Hartman, a program coordinator and senior instructor of biomedical engineering technology at Penn State University (PSU) and a tireless advocate for improving education in the field, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 56. "Not only was Myron a leader in patient safety and patient advocacy, he was an educator, innovator, and supported many medical missions efforts both logistically, and personally," said Jack E. McNerny, a certified biomedical engineering technician at Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. "We have lost a true champion to the HTM community." Hartman, who lived with his family in North Huntingdon, PA, started his healthcare technology management (HTM) career in 1979 as a biomedical equipment technician. He worked his way up to supervisor, then director of a clinical engineering department, and eventually served as a hospital administrator, according to his obituary. He used this experience to help guide students and HTM professionals, bringing his expertise to DITEC, an imaging service training company that was based in Solon, OH. "Myron quietly, and without fanfare, helped mold the HTM community," said Manny Roman, who worked with Hartman at DITEC. "He embodies this quote: 'Leave others better for having known you.' Anyone fortunate enough to have known Myron is better from the experience." In addition to his work at PSU and DITEC, Hartman was the owner and instructor of Biomed Ed, which offered education and training, including certification exam preparation, for biomedical engineering technology professionals. His passion for education and training brought him to AAMI’s Future Forum III, a two-day event in March 2014 whose participants discussed the development of a comprehensive educational infrastructure for those in the HTM field. His teaching was not confined to the United States. As a member of Brothers Brother Foundation, an international charitable organization that provides medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, textbooks, and other supplies to people around the world, he went to Liberia to train people and service the equipment. Barb Christe, a program director and associate professor at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, said Hartman had a great passion for teaching. "On the wall in Myron’s classroom are a multitude of photos of his graduating classes. Each face represents a powerful legacy and incredible impact on patient care," she said. Steve Yelton, a healthcare technology management professor at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, also praised Hartman. "He has touched the lives of so many students, colleagues, and friends, and all are better for having known him. He was a wonderful man and very giving of his time and expertise. I feel honored to have worked with him on many projects over the years." Hartman also was a prolific author, penning articles for Medical Dealer Magazine and TechNation. He wrote a series of articles for TechNation chronicling his battle against cancer, describing what it is like to be a patient instead of on the other side servicing the equipment. In one piece, he described being on a ventilator, calling in an “eye-opening” experience. “It gave me the firsthand knowledge and feeling of being a patient with no control over the critical life-support function of breathing,” he wrote. Myron is survived by his wife, Amy; sons Brian and Scott; and daughter Katie Barbuscak and her husband, Matthew; and an aunt, Maxine Brannon. He also is survived by his two "African sons," Prince Kwenah and Willie Voupawoe. Kwenah and Voupawoe were two of Hartman’s trainees in Africa who lived with his family for three months when they visited the United States. They stayed in contact almost daily. This material was first published on the AAMI website as Colleagues Remember 'True Champion' [ http://www.aami.org/newsviews/newsdetail.aspx?ItemNumber=2498 ] Only four years ago, in 2011, Myron was included in 24x7's "Best of 2011 Biomedical Professionals" HTMcommunityDB.org. " Honor Roll." Accessdate: 3/20/2016. http://www.htmcommunitydb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Honor_Roll References Links Category:People